Germany Received Warning of Munich Massacre, Der Spiegel Reports

The German government had advance warning of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre, Der Spiegel reported Sunday.

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Rachel Hirshfeld , 23/07/12 11:29

Members of the Israeli Olympic delegation sta

Reuters

The German government had advance warning of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre, Der Spiegel reported Sunday.

German intelligence and the German foreign ministry reportedly received information indicating that a terror attack was being planned at the Olympics, but decided not to take precautions or preventive measures against the threats.

According to the report, authorities ignored not only intelligence reports but also public warnings. On September 2, three days prior to the attack, the Italian magazine Gente also reported that Black September terrorists were planning "a sensational action in the Olympic games."

The attackers were reportedly able to enter the quarters of the Israeli athletes without undergoing additional security measures.

Der Spiegel also implies that local and federal German authorities attempted to cover up their prior knowledge of the attack and their failures to prevent the murder of the 11 Israeli athletes.

According to the German weekly, shortly after the attack, a message was distributed directing officials to refrain from criticizing any of the involved authorities and to refrain from providing information to the public.

The report is based on secret reports from the inquiry following the attack, cabinet meeting minutes and diplomatic correspondence.

The full report, titled "From Dream to Terror – Munich 1972" was aired on Sunday night on German television.